Heroes and Alignments

[alexxkay]

A while back on this LJ, while discussing Heroes, rufinia said: "Nathan...well, Nathan isn't quite prepared to be Lawful Good." Actually, I'm not sure he's even particularly trying to be Lawful Good, though he may be trying to fool himself about that. The D&D Alignment system is a fairly blunt instrument at best, but looking through that lens, Nathan seems to me to be Neutral Evil. He doesn't register strongly on the Law/Chaos axis, being willing to work either with or against the system as it suits him. But in D&D terms, Evil equates to selfishness and self-centered-ness, and that's Nathan in spades. While Hiro may *think* Nathan cares about other people, it seems to me that he treats them as either tools or potential liabilities. He works with the FBI against Linderman not out of any moral code, or because it will make the world better -- he does it because Linderman tried to kill *him*, personally, and remains a threat to him. As soon as Linderman said, "You won't make it out of this room alive if you shoot," the conversation was effecively over. Nathan *really* doesn't like having someone in a position of power over him -- but he would hate being dead much, much worse. It was sensible of Linderman to apply some carrot as well as stick, but the stick probably would have been enough.

Alignment is a fun game, let's play some more!

Hiro, of course, is Chaotic Good. He'd probably *like* to be Lawful (and goodness knows his dad would prefer it), but it just isn't in him. He will always be quitting jobs, stealing things when it is "his destiny", and the like.

Mr. Bennett, like most Evil Government Conspiracy members, is a fairly classic Lawful Evil, although that could change with all the plot-stress he's been under.

Claire, on the other hand, is Lawful Good. Much of her stress comes from the fact that she's put in positions where being Lawful is difficult or impossible for her, or where other people (like her father) appear to be "breaking rules".

Peter is Chaotic Good, though he's in serious danger of slipping over to the dark side.

Nikki is Lawful Good, but Jessica is Chaotic Evil.

Anyone else want to play?

Comments

[umbran.livejournal.com]

These days, at least, "lawful" isn't necessarily about following the laws of "the system". That's one set of laws, but it isn't the only one you can follow. A lawful character holds to tradition, keeps their word, and otherwise wants things to first and foremost be organized, to follow a plan. For the lawful character, individual choice is unimportant, being a cog in the machine is important.

Nathan registers as lawful to me. He, first and foremost, plays the game, and he knows the game has rules. He constantly has issues with his brother, who keeps bucking against The Plan. I his younger days he may have been Good, but these days he's morally ambiguous.

Mr. Bennet is not Evil. Evil is selfish, self-aggrandizing, profiting from harm done to others. Mr. Bennet is not looking for personal power. He doesn't really like to do harm, but feels it is necessary to keep order in society. He acts to protect others - his family first, society second. That seems pretty LN to me. As compared to his new partner, who gets jollies out of causing distress - she's Evil.

Hiro is Neutral Good. He sometimes follows personal choice (like quitting his job), but he also often sticks to a Code. He follows the way things should be, for a superhero. Chaotics deny the existence of Fate, or Destiny, while Hiro seeks them.

[umbran.livejournal.com]

And I, of course, and NG - Nerdy Good. :)

[alexx-kay.livejournal.com]

:)

[alexx-kay.livejournal.com]

For the lawful character, individual choice is unimportant, being a cog in the machine is important.

I think that Nathan is the same sort of Lawful that Miles Vorkosigan is. He has no problem with chain of command, so long as he gets to be the top of the chain. He likes the fact that the machine works smoothly, but he is profoundly *un*happy to be a cog.

Mr. Bennet is not looking for personal power.

Now, Mr. Bennett is (well, was until recently) happy being a cog. But he still reads as Evil to me. In the flashback episode where he joins the OWI, the way he delivered the line about "I'm okay with 'grey'" sounded to me like the words of a sadist who knows that he will be getting a safe outlet for causing pain. Of course, the words themselves are about Neutrality, so perhaps the writers didn't intend that interpretation.

Also, despite years of loyalty, as soon as his personal interests start to diverge from his employers, he *immediately* begins to disobey their orders. He doesn't even have to think about it, as far as we can tell. His love for his family in general, and Claire in particular, seem to me to be cracks in his previous character, indicating he may be drifting towards Good. The version of Bennett in the flashback seemed to almost enjoy the thought of deceiving his wife, whereas the more recent man seems to be much more deeply in love with her.